“Green Hills meet your eyes wherever
you look. Yonder them hills of green lay my heart. This is me home, this
is me heart…Shanain. Where the wind blows soft and the rain pours down
on you washing all your sins away. Oh this is freedom, and this is where
my story begins. My name is Ian McGilles of the McGilles Clan. I was the
oldest of my five brothers and had to take care of them for times were
tough. We were very poor, you see, for work was scarce and the dangers
lie ahead. Lord Rowans had claimed war with Shanain and was slowly
burning the villages and destroying the clans that would not surrender
to him. You see we were farmers, poor but never falling so low to sign a
treaty with him. We hoped that it would never come to this for we lived
high and far away from his kingdom where no one could touch us and we
could live our life in peace. But we were wrong…”

“Ian son, here are twenty cresents, I
wish you to go with the sunrise to Lawrskin and buy some more seeds;
without crops we’ll die soon,” Carmos McGilles asked of his son. Carmos
was an old man with silver hair and gray eyes that shone like the moon.
He was a kind old man with a warm heart. Since his wife died and left
him with five sons, he had to take care of them. While the draft was
killing the crops they grew on their land, this was their existence that
kept them in this world. Carmos had to do all that was in his might to
save them so they could stay alive for another winter. So Ian was forced
at a young age to take care of his brothers, master the skills of
hunting and farming. Now the boy looked into his father’s old hand,
looking at the golden coins shining like his father’s eyes.

“Father, I do not like to leave you
alone. It is a two weeks journey at least. Can’t I just stay here and
help thee on the land,” he asked respectfully for he knew that the old
man wouldn’t have enough time to take care of the land and the children
in his condition. For the draft wasn’t only slowly taking hold of the
crops, but also the old man’s bones and chest.

“Nay my son, there are no crops left to
save and we have only enough for one cycle. It is necessary that you
leave with the first dawn and return as soon as your legs can carry you.
I want you to go to Lawrskin and buy the needed seeds and a horse. Use
the money wisely for it is all we have got and beware of people who want
to trick you, and of the Fachen who live in the heart of the forests and
the Gwyllions who come when the moon is high to look for travelers to
make them lose their way. Careful my son, for I can not bear to lose
you,” the old man said feeling his heart hurt, knowing that his oldest
son had endless dangers ahead of him on the journey to make their
struggle for life a little longer. Ian took the gold, feeling pain
inside of his chest, seeing his father not wanting to lose his oldest
son but knowing that their life depended on it.

“I shall go as soon as the sun rises
and return within the next full moon, father. I shall be careful and I
won’t get tempted or tricked by anyone or any sorcery. You have taught
me well the art of swordsmanship as your father taught it to you. I
shall take the Spirit with me so that when I get lost, he’ll guide me. I
shall return with the seeds so that we’ll survive another cycle.”

“You shall succeed my son, now let’s
return home and sit by the fire so that you shall rest before your
journey,” Carmos said, placing his strong hand on his son’s shoulder as
they both walked over the hills to their little cottage.

Ian awoke in the middle of the evening
and felt the cold wind blow though the cracks of the door. He slowly
stood up, trying not to make a sound so that he wouldn’t awake his
brothers who lay all together near the fire under a bearskin that Ian
had slain in the Wolf Moon. It had been a long and tiresome struggle for
survival. It had nearly cost Ian his lif,e but he had supplied the
family with enough food until the Ice Moon.

Ian walked over to his father and
pulled the blanket that had slipped over his father’s shoulders. The
shadows danced on the wall on the melody of the burning fire. Ian opened
the window and a soft wind blew inside the cottage, making him shiver.
He looked up at the full moon whose rays shone down on him. In the
distance a wolf cried his sad song and Ian smelled the mountain air.
Twenty-three cycles ago, he was brought upon this earth in this place
isolated between green hills and since then he had never left it. With
the rising of the sun he would leave it and travel to the unknown to
Lawrskin, a little village located over the hills to the north. His
father had told him tales about that village and others that he had
visited on his journeys through Shanain. He wasn’t afraid of what lay in
front of him but of what lay behind, his family and whether they would
still be alive when he returned with the seeds. A cold wind blew through
his sand-colored hair and he closed his eyes enjoying the moment trying
to forget his worries. The moon smiled down on him and his future.

Carmos walked into the cottage and took
the sword that his father had given him long ago when he got his title,
Sir. He took it from its hiding place and blew the dust from it. He
looked at the hilt, which was engraved with the family name. He took it
out and gracefully swung it, charging at his imagined enemy. Carmos
smiled as his memory trailed to the days of his youth when he went on
crusades fighting alongside McKenzie and the other clans of Shanain. Now
it was time to pass it on to Ian for he went on his own crusade to keep
his family alive. Deep in his heart he hoped that his son would make it
in time for he didn’t know how much longer he could keep the crops
alive.

Ian looked at his father, who exited
the cottage in his slow manner. In his hand lay a sword what Ian
recognized to be the family sword, for when he was young Carmos had
shown him and told his adventures about the sword. Carmos walked to his
son and placed the sword in his hands. He took it and looked into his
father’s eyes.

“You’ll need it more then I, Ian. Now
go and don’t look back; we’ll be waiting for you,” He said trying to
keep his voice from shaking. Ian hoped fiercely that this wouldn’t be
their final goodbye. He gave his father a hug and then took his four
brothers in his arms.

“When will you be back, Ian?”

“Soon Reamus. Now take good care of
your father and brothers. will you, while I’m gone?” Ian said to the
second oldest of them. He looked down at the twins Kyle and Growen, who
were looking tearfully back at him.

“Don’t cry boys. I’ll be back before
you know it and I promise I’ll bring something for you all,” he said and
gave each one of them a kiss on the cheek. He looked again back at his
father and then turned his back to them and started the journey.

“Over green hills I went carried by the
wind with Spirit along my side guiding me through the woods. Dangers lie
ahead of us and sorrow behind but we continued our struggle for daily
life. For days we traveled through the land of Shanain. But the Gods
didn’t seem to be on our side; the wild creatures where hungrier than we
were and saw us as their next meal while the cold wind and rain delayed
our journey through nothing to nothing.

We were particularly lucky that we
weren’t traveling in the month of the Mead Moon when the Amadam where
active. Their touch could cause instant paralysis and were harmful to
outlaws and people who walked in the moonlight. But I knew all the
dangers the forests and Highlands of Shanain held. Carmos had told me
tales about those Mythical creatures of our world. Of Goblins and
Cyroeraeth, Pixies and different kinds of Fearie folk. Til then they
were only creatures that Carmos had told us of before bedtime, when we
all sat around the fire. But as I continued my journey, numerous
creatures crossed my path and I theirs…”

Ian and Spirit continued their journeys
through the Highlands and Forests of the North Region of Shanain. Spirit
was Ian’s tame wolf that he had saved from the flood that had appeared
out of nowhere many, many cycles ago. Ian had been a little boy when he
first set eyes upon Spirit and instantly they had become each other’s
guides. Together they had lived many adventures and this would be the
last.

Both of them where silent as they
entered yet another forest that looked like a copy of the forest they
had just left. They were silent, their feet making no noise as they
walked over the fallen leaves. It was the time of the Blood Moon and the
trees swept slowly with their branches in the wind. Both were careful
and constantly aware of their surroundings for you never knew what could
await you at the end of the road. Go East, Carmos had said and they went
and slowly Pine trees turned to enormous oaks whose leaves colored the
ground red. The animals were busy finding food that they could store for
a winter that was only a couple of moons away. Their journey was slow
but it seemed that they had some luck. In the distance a beautiful brown
horse stood looking at them with its clever eyes. Ian slowly approached
it and the horse let him come closer. It had been a long time since Ian
had seen one, for there in the Highlands there were none for the winter
was too hard. The last horse he had seen was the old steed Carmos once
owned when they first came there but it didn’t survive one Winter up
there and one cold morning they found it stiff frozen in the stable.

“Steady boy.” Ian said softly to the
horse as he neared it. Gently he placed on hand on its nose and stroked
it. The creature let him and looked deep into his eyes, welcoming him to
try his luck. Ian looked down at Spirit who gave him a disapproving look
and growled in a low voice at the horse. Now Ian knew that no matter
what, he always had to trust Spirit for animals, especially wolves,
could sense danger, mischief, troubles and even death. But looking at
the magnificent creature made him push his luck and he carefully mounted
it. Ian let out a sigh, happy to find himself still on the back of the
horse. But as soon as his hands touched the neck of the beast, it raised
itself on his hind legs. Ian had just enough time to take hold of its
rich mane before the beast started off in an uncontrolled gallop through
the woods. Ian, who had no experience how to ride, knew one basic and
important thing, that if he let go he would end under its feet. So he
held on with all his might trying to calm the beast down. Spirit ran
next to the horse trying to grab its hind legs so that it would slow
down and release his master.

“Spirit what are you doing; you’re
going to get us both killed!” Ian shouted to Spirit who made a leap to
catch one of the legs, but it only made the horse go faster. Ian saw
nothing but blurs of colors as they galloped at high speed through the
woods. Branches hit his face leaving scratches on his arms tearing his
clothes. He became dizzy and he would have fainted if it weren’t for the
pain in his lower back and below from going up and down on the horse’s
back. He tried with all his strength to control the beast but knew that
it was hopeless.

“Spirit, do something!!” he cried out
in a strangely high voice. But Spirit felt as helpless as his master,
not able to do anything. A large brown thing came in sight at his eye
level and Ian saw his chance clear and let go of the horse’s mane just
in time and grabbed hold of the branch, never letting go. In the
distance the horse kept running and let out a low laugh and then Ian
realized what had happened: He had been tricked by a Brag.